Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz [Paperback]

Jolene Babyak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001

Taut, suspenseful account of June 1962 Alcatraz "escape of the century" when three men disappeared.

Showing security lapses, staff morale, moderizations, building deteriorations and risky behavoir which led to the closing of the Rock.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At 15, Jolene Babyak (Eyewitness on Alcatraz) was living on Alcatraz with her warden father when four prisoners famously attempted escape in 1962, digging through walls and disappearing forever on a homemade raft all except Allen West, who was caught, and to whom Babyak attributes the initial plan. In Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz, Babyak recounts factors that made the attempt possible including crumbling facilities (due in part to salt-water toilets, whose leaking pipes eroded the concrete walls), new four-man dining tables (providing the escapees with privacy), a closed-down armed-guard tower and endless, painstaking planning by the prisoners. Numerous interviews with inmates and guards who knew the escapees, extensive investigation and Babyak's personal interest in and access to the events distinguish this account. Ninety-six b&w photos.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Once the most infamous prison in the world, Alcatraz today is a tourist attraction across the bay from San Francisco. On a 22-acre battleship-shaped sandstone rock, Alcatraz defied escape attempts. Yet in 1962, there was a successful escape by three men. Babyak (The Ten Greatest Escapes) was a child at the time, living on the Rock with her father, acting warden Arthur Dollison. Combining her firsthand knowledge with newly released Alcatraz documents, she recapitulates the events surrounding the escape and speculates about what happened to the men, who were never heard from again. The mastermind, she thinks, was Allen West, a wily, longtime con who got Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin to join him. West's plans were brilliant in detail, including building a raft and leaving lifelike heads on the men's cots. Ironically, the plans were helped by Dollison's relaxing of some of the more stringent security rules and by errors made by the Alcatraz staff. In suspenseful detail, Babyak describes the course of events leading up to the fateful telephone call received by her father on the morning of June 12. West chickened out at the last minute, leaving him to say to everyone who would listen that he had "broken the Rock." Did the other three make it to safety? Babyak suspects that they did not. Yet what exactly happened remains a mystery that prison buffs can ponder. This is essential for all crime collections and, considering its lively cover, should do well in public libraries. Frances Sandiford, Green Haven Correctional Facility Lib., Stormville, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Ariel Vamp Pr (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961875232
• ISBN-13: 978-0961875237
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book with an exception, June 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz (Paperback)

While I do think this is a good read with plenty of information, I can name two faults. First, the author uses italics to guess what the people are saying. They are not quotes, but her thoughts of what could have been said. This is a flaw in accuracy because you have to remind yourself that, while it could have been said, it also could not have been said. Secondly, the book was sloppily written. I found numerous spelling mistakes and typos. Overlooking those, it was a good read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book That Is Hard To Put Down, November 15, 2002

By 

C. W. Emblom "Bill Emblom" (Ishpeming, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz (Paperback)

Author Jolene Babyak was a child at Alcatraz while her father was the assistant warden and provides us with minute details of the 1962 escape attempt by inmates West, Morris, and the Anglin brothers. The detailed planning, cooperation from other inmates, and the special care that went into this attempt is astounding and I got the feeling the inmates were convinced they actually would make it to shore in their raft while, perhaps, forgetting just how difficult their task would be once they hit the water. We are left to wonder whether inmate West had a change of heart and stayed behind because he was afraid of the water or being doublecrossed by the Anglin brothers or was he just lucky he stayed behind because he couldn't get out of the back of his cell. He was left to tell the tale while the others just vanished, most likely to a watery grave. I did find quite a number of spelling and grammatical mistakes. I was lucky to tour Alcatraz two weeks ago and have the author autograph my copy of the book. This book, along with the Battle at Alcatraz by Ernest Lageson describing the 1946 escape attempt are both first rate and worth reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great read. all ages. awsome author!, July 12, 2002

By 

Sean Goff (Hot, Hot, Hot, Tucson!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz (Paperback)

This book portrays one of the best prison tales from someone with first hand expirence. I bought this book on the Rock and had it signed by Jolene. she shows her personality through this book using great detail. "Breaking the Rock" brings you step by step, day by day, and inch by inch along the the story of the escape. This book is great for experts and novices on the topic of Alcatraz.